Achievement Gap and Diverse Learning Styles for Black Students
This paper examines the persistent reading achievement gap between African American and white students in the United States, drawing on national assessment data that show only 18% of Black fourth-graders and 15% of Black eighth-graders scored proficient or above in reading. The paper critiques standardized testing as a culturally biased instrument that fails to capture diverse learning styles and non-academic skills. It argues that cooperative learning structures, particularly Kagan Structures, better serve African American students by promoting active participation, peer collaboration, and cultural inclusion. Alternative assessment approaches that account for multiple intelligences and varied learning preferences are also recommended as necessary complements to instructional reform.
- Introduction: Diversity and Learning in Education: Diversity and individualized learning in education
- The Reading Achievement Gap for African American Students: Data on Black students' reading proficiency gap
- Standardized Testing and Its Limitations for Diverse Learners: Cultural bias in standardized assessment design
- Cooperative Learning and Kagan Structures as Remediation: Peer learning and Kagan Structures as solutions
- Summary of Trends, Issues, and Evidence-Based Practices: Tabular overview of gap trends and remediation
- Conclusion: Need for learning style reform and inclusive tests
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds its argument in concrete national assessment data, citing specific proficiency percentages for fourth- and eighth-grade African American and white students to make the achievement gap tangible and urgent.
- Moves logically from problem identification (the gap and its causes) to critique (standardized testing bias) to solution (cooperative learning and reformed assessments), giving the paper a clear problem-solution structure.
- Connects instructional strategy to assessment reform, arguing that teacher-level inclusion must be matched by test-level inclusion — an often-overlooked link in education policy discussions.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates evidence-based advocacy: it uses peer-reviewed sources and national data not merely to describe a problem but to justify a specific pedagogical intervention. By citing Baker (2017), Ehsan et al. (2019), and Edwards & Taub (2016), the author shows how empirical research supports the adoption of cooperative learning structures over traditional instructional models for African American students.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a broad framing of diversity in education, then narrows to the specific achievement gap affecting African American students, supported by reading proficiency data. It critiques standardized testing as culturally biased, then proposes cooperative learning and Kagan Structures as evidence-based remediation. A structured summary table consolidates trends, issues, preferred learning styles, and remediation practices, followed by a brief concluding synthesis. This layered structure moves from macro context to micro classroom intervention.
Introduction: Diversity and Learning in Education
Within the education system, diversity is an integral part (Bryant, Triplett, Watson, & Lewis, 2017). Each student is a unique individual with a preferred learning style, which means there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to learning or instruction. It is time for educators to recognize that students have different learning styles and to accommodate those varied styles in the classroom. The assessment of those students should also be reconsidered as educators account for their learning styles. The accuracy of standardized tests has been called into question, as these tests often fail to reflect the knowledge and learning of diverse students in the classroom. Consideration should be given to alternative assessments that will meet the unique needs of all students.
The Reading Achievement Gap for African American Students
There is an achievement gap separating Black students from white students that has been documented for a long time (Baker, 2017). While this social divide is vexing to most policymakers and educators, it persists to this day. The picture is particularly stark when it comes to the reading proficiency of Black students compared to that of white students. National tests indicate that only 18% of Black fourth-grade students scored proficient or above in reading, compared to 45% of white fourth-grade students (Ehsan, Vida, & Mehdi, 2019). The figures for eighth-grade students show the same discrepancy: Black students were at 15% and white students at 42%. While white student figures are still below half, the figures for Black students are particularly concerning.
These statistics translate to greater struggles in high school, resulting in lower college attendance and graduation rates, which could lead to higher incarceration rates and a generally bleak future for Black children. The figures for the most recent year were actually lower than those from two years prior, indicating a general decline in student performance. There is therefore a need to determine the reasons behind this decline and focus on solutions geared toward improving the reading rates of Black students — and of all students.
There is an abundance of scientific research explaining why the standard approach used for reading instruction is not working for Black students (Baker, 2017). Many educators and policymakers appear unaware of this existing research, and some even openly reject it. Schools continue to focus on the same ineffective strategies they have relied on for decades, expecting different results. It is unfortunate that reading scores for Black, Hispanic, and low-income groups have been low for so long — and that strategies for raising them have been so unsuccessful — that many people have come to accept these outcomes as normal (Edwards & Taub, 2016).
Poverty and racism are frequently cited as the underlying reasons for the low scores, with the implication that if society has not managed to overcome them, education cannot either. However, this framing is incomplete. Poor white students have managed to outperform Black students who do not live in poverty. This suggests there are systemic issues that are not being addressed at the classroom level and that are negatively impacting Black students beyond what income alone can explain.
Standardized Testing and Its Limitations for Diverse Learners
Yearly summative assessments and interval progress monitoring are rooted in the notion of measuring student achievement. However, time and again, the achievement gaps for Black students have failed to narrow to match those of their white counterparts. Standardized tests are universally designed in a way that fails to address the diverse population of test-takers. Test makers create questions that assume shared background knowledge, yet the assessments are effectively geared toward white middle-class students. Test creators often lack awareness of the socioeconomic conditions and learning styles of Black students, which prevents them from developing inclusive questions.
As a result, assessments fail to acknowledge the different methods of instruction used in the classroom to suit diverse students, nor do they allow students to be assessed in ways that align with their learning styles. A standardized test requires all students to answer questions in the same way. While this approach is useful for measuring whether students have mastered course standards, it cannot measure non-academic skills such as insight reasoning, creativity, application skills, and critical thinking. Judging students solely on their standardized test performance is an injustice. Just as teachers are encouraged to be inclusive in their instruction, assessments must also embrace different learning styles and preferences. Teachers become demotivated when they invest significant effort in differentiated instruction, only to see their students still struggle on assessments that do not reflect those efforts.
Conclusion
African American students appear to be disadvantaged in part because many come from low-income backgrounds. However, the standardized test scores are similar even for Black students who come from middle-class backgrounds. The underlying issue has to do with learning styles and systemic instructional misalignment, not student background alone. Without making changes in how Black students are taught and assessed, tangible improvement in outcomes cannot be expected.
Embracing a cooperative learning structure will allow Black students to actively participate in the classroom rather than simply moving through it passively. With active participation, students will improve their reading ability, which will in turn improve their test scores. Additionally, there is a need to modify current standardized tests to better suit the different learning styles of all students. Using a single standardized test to gauge the performance of students with varying learning preferences disadvantages those whose strengths are not captured by that format. Both instructional reform and assessment reform are necessary to close the achievement gap and support the success of African American students.
References
Baker, T. J. (2017). The effects of an Afrocentric curriculum on reading scores of African American third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Nova Southeastern University.
Bryant, A. C., Triplett, N. P., Watson, M. J., & Lewis, C. W. (2017). The browning of American public schools: Evidence of increasing racial diversity and the implications for policy, practice, and student outcomes. The Urban Review, 49(2), 263–278.
Edwards, O. W., & Taub, G. E. (2016). The influence of specific phonemic awareness processes on the reading comprehension of African American students. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 30(1), 74–84.
Ehsan, N., Vida, S., & Mehdi, N. (2019). The impact of cooperative learning on developing speaking ability and motivation toward learning English. Journal of Language and Education, 5(3(19)).
Meyer, B., & Paxson, C. (2019). The double-edged sword of standardized testing.
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